A new party member arrives...

Jun here, artist and creative lead for Gravia Tactics. In today's update I'd like to show you some new concept artwork that I've been working on, a party member not previously revealed before- Aura! Alongside this I've including some notes as well, which I hope will give a 'behind-the-scenes' glimpse at my thought process when designing our characters.

And here she is!

"Who got burnt this time?"

A brief Introduction (without too many spoilers!)

Aura Lazaret is an adolescent girl who has few words but plenty of heart, and in spite of her size she is a bit of a glutton too! A trait perhaps due to her growing up amidst the persistent shortage of food in her struggling hometown, Brisling. This is a once major fishing port now one of many rundown towns that lie on the outskirts of the great desert.

Like Dillon, she is one of the few youths who are inexplicably able to wield the unknown power- magic and sharing the same tell-tale vibrant eyes. Unlike him however, she only ever uses her talent in aid of others. In fact she can be counted on to patch up those that Dillon has seared with his fireplay; Klay and Riggs are frequent returning patients!

Character design notes:

I based Aura’s look roughly on a Shinto priestess’ attire, borrowing elements of red and (off) white (it’s hard to keep anything sparkling white in Gravia!) and the ribbons tie the whole look together. I purposefully try to keep the key colour count low to create a distinct colour palette for each character so they are more easily discernible, especially when reduced to their diminutive in-game sprite forms.

In my version of the miko look, I emulate the haori sleeves with separate fur arm wraps- this along with the ‘horn’ adornments worn in her hair give Aura a bit of a natural and ‘wild’ vibe, making her costume less of a uniform and into something that’s more personal to her.

The whole look alludes to her shamanic aspect, of cleansing and preserving life. The wand she holds is made from a branch originating from the fossilised forest and to it is bound a sizeable emerald-like gemstone (green being the prime colour of life, growth and harmony) acting as a focal point for her abilities.

I purposefully ventured away from an anime/ cel-shaded look for this concept image just to try something a bit more illustrative and ‘light’ and exploring other possible visual options. I am continuously refining and attempting to improve the look of Gravia and this process doesn’t really end until the game is out- I tend to come away from my work always thinking it could be improved or done better in some way or another so expect any artwork you see to undergo constant re-envisioning- and after working on Aura, I have some more ideas for our existing character designs...